As I sit here in my San Diego kitchen looking out the windows at the cloudy morning sky on this Christmas eve morning, I wonder about all of you. It’s quiet in my house as everyone else is still sleeping. I am drinking my first cup of coffee from my new favorite coffee mug. I’m very particular about coffee mugs. This one says ” I heart Harveys. seatbeltbags.com“. It’s white with red letters. But, what I love about it is the shape and the skinny handle. It’s tall and slender. I’m giving you details because today is all about the details.
Tracy Green just launched a new website, www.smartworkingmom.com. Her site is worth a look if you have a minute. This week, she emailed me and also left a comment on my blog. I’d like to share them both with you because I think you’ll relate to what she’s saying.
Email: “I applaude you! It was so refreshing to see a website that makes it okay for moms to work, and want to work and celebrates those who do! I’m emailing to ask your permission to list www.sixfiguremomsclub.com as a HOT LINK on my evolving website: www.smartworkingmom.com. I’m a full-time, plus working mom of two boys and enjoy having a career. My issue became that I was in complete control and successful at the office, but at home — forget it! I was out of my element. (Snipped)
Today, I had the great pleasure of a triathlon day made up of hiking, kayaking and waterskiing in a beautiful fall weather day. If you’ve been following along, you know I’m vacationing in the Adirondacks of New York. It was less than 40 degrees fahrenheit when I woke up today so the fact that it turned into such a great day was a true gift. During my kayaking adventure, I was paddling far ahead of my family enjoying the solitude and taking in the beauty of nature. I wasn’t thinking about work or much of anything at all. (This is unusual for me as I am gifted and tortured with a busy mind). This quiet time wasn’t destined to last and was interupted as I hear my husband talking to my daughter, “Great kayaking is all about great balance”, he says to her. I think, “Isn’t that the truth about everything?”. And it is, isn’t it? The key to almost any great challenge we face in life is moderation and balance. As working mothers, we’re probably the worst offenders to turning our heads to balance for ourselves. However, we must remember that everyone around us is tied to our balance. If we’re off kilter, we cause a domino effect for everyone else. Try to remember that. As a Six Figure Mom, likely a Type A personality, you are very powerful. If you don’t take care of yourself and protect your center, you can cause great waves of anxiety and unhappiness all around you. How great that you are so powerful but what responsibility that comes with. If you think this isn’t true, you’re kidding yourself.
I arrived upon a car crash today just seconds after it occurred. It looked like a one car accident with a single person in the car. The car was pretty smashed but the driver looked unharmed other than being dazed and seemingly in shock. This was a Sunday afternoon in a suburb so not like an urban holiday when crazy drivers are everywhere. It’s rattling to be around the strange energy of an accident. I wondered, what was going on with this driver? Was he thinking about unmet commitments at work? Relationship conflict? Not spending enough time with his kids? Or maybe even sleeping at the wheel from exhaustion? Whatever the case, he wasn’t present. I’m sorry his Sunday afternoon was traumatized but I thank him. You see, he gave me a gift. Just another reminder to continue to work on being present at whatever I’m investing myself in every given moment. Like most working mothers, I’ve got a lot on my plate. It’s easy to spend too much time on one thing and get out of balance on the others. Everyday I must continue to strive to get better at focusing on the highest of my priorities and to really be in the moment. For me, this means I must rank priorities often and make sure every task I do is in line with my goals. I keep a list of my top 10 goals with me all the time. When I feel I get off track, I just need to refocus and realign my tasks to the goals and I feel more centered. This means, if something is on my to do list that doesn’t fit my top 10 goals, then it’s deleted or delegated. It’s not a grey area, it’s black and white. It’s the only way I can keep up. Now, let me confess, my life is clearly not black and white. When it comes to my family, I can’t control or predict what they need. However, having personal clarity allows me to have an available margin to offer when the unexpected pops up…and it always does. If you want to work on being present in your life, I suggest starting with Steven Covey, The Franklin Covey website has lots of good stuff in their online library. Enjoy!
Business Week’s Working Parents Blog ran an post last week covering survey results that indicate “Working Women Want Money Not Balance”. I imagine reviewing the demographics of the women surveyed would reveal that these women aren’t Six Figure Moms. It may be true for some but I have issue with the suggestion that women must choose between one or the other. Most of the women I interview and coach are concerned with balance because they want a good mix of everything. We can’t have both balance AND money? I think we can. As a Six Figure Mom, you have an opportunity to use your resources to speak up and influence the change that’s occuring in our US workforce. Everyone wants more flexibility, telecommuting options and the option to choose whether they work 8-5 or 5-8. This is no longer an issue that only hits home with women but with everyone that’s ever got a taste of it and liked it.